March 10 is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The Office of Women’s Health is the government agency that supports this essential day to educate women about such significant health issue. Their tagline is “Share Knowledge, Take Action.” I want to share knowledge so that you can take action and talk to the women and girls in your life about HIV/AIDS.

Wait…I bet you thought only men who have sex with men (MSM) get HIV/AIDS, right? Or those who share needles, like drug users? Well, would you believe that even though MSM do have the highest rate of new HIV infections, African-American heterosexual women are the next largest group of individuals with new HIV infection diagnoses. That’s right. Straight women. Did you know people who share needles have one of the lowest numbers of infection?

In fact, studies show that “American women aged 13 or older account or 25% of all HIV diagnoses” according to womenshealth.gov. Twenty-five percent. That is a significant number, especially since there are 1.1 million people in the U.S. living with HIV, with 50,000 new diagnoses each year. That’s a lot of people.

It is estimated that almost 16% do not know they have the virus. Sixteen percent. They may not have any symptoms for years….and during that time this person may be sexually active.

According to the CDC, this is the breakdown of new HIV infections. This data is from 2010. (Hey, it takes a while to figure all these numbers out.)

MSM (White)……………………………………………………11,200

MSM (Black)……………………………………………………10,600

MSM (Hispanic)………………………………………………….6,700

Heterosexual Women (Black)…………………………………..5,300

Heterosexual Men (Black)………………………………………2,700

Heterosexual Women (White)…………………………………..1,300

Heterosexual Women (Hispanic)……………………………….1,200

IV Drug Users (Men, Black)…………………………………….1,100

IV Drug Users (Women, Black)…………………………………..850

Heterosexual Men (Hispanic)……………………………………..780

I know, I know. Numbers are boring. The reason I decided to painstakingly type all this stuff out is because I want you to look at these numbers.

Do you see a disproportionate number of heterosexual women with HIV compared to heterosexual men?

Hum. I wonder why this is? Well, there are certainly many, many reasons for this disparity, but the one I want you to really think about is the honestly factor. It ties in to prevention. Before a person decides to engage in sexual activity (anal, oral, vaginal), it is always prudent to ask their partner if they have an STI or HIV. Hopefully they will be honest; after all, their sexual history could be more extensive than they might want to admit. So to be on the safe side, I strongly suggest a “field trip” to the nearest testing agency if either person hasn’t been tested within the last year. Why take a chance? Of course, that is true with any STI, not just HIV. If you catch HIV early enough, there are medications that can help AIDS from taking hold down the road. So, please, get tested every year. Some people may need to be tested more often, some less often. Talk to your healthcare provider.

Don’t worry – it’s all confidential.

I want to repeat my favorite mantra. Wear A Condom. Besides abstinence, which is the only 100% sure way to stay HIV free, condoms are the only barrier we have that can help decrease a persons chance of becoming infected.

Please go to these other sources for more information. And as always, talk to your healthcare provider for personalized care